A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck under land 250 kilometer from Jaén in Peru in the night of Thursday September 10th, 2026. Another country near the epicenter is Ecuador.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Peru, 250 kilometer (155 mi) north-east of Jaén in Cajamarca. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 10, 2026 01:42 (Guayaquil Time) - Sep 10, 2026 06:42 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 193 km east of Loja, Ecuador. Coordinates 3°53'60"S 77°27'58"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Ecuador and Peru are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 166 kilometer (103 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Zamora (Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Cuenca is located 204 km to the northwest. Machala is located 286 km to the west. Loja is located 193 km to the west.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 166 km (103 mi) W from epicenter |
Zamora Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador. |
| 184 km (114 mi) NW from epicenter |
Gualaceo Azuay, Ecuador. |
| 191 km (119 mi) NW from epicenter |
Macas Morona-Santiago, Ecuador. |
| 193 km (120 mi) W from epicenter |
Loja Loja, Ecuador. |
| 200 km (124 mi) NW from epicenter |
Azogues Cañar, Ecuador. |
| 204 km (127 mi) NW from epicenter |
Cuenca Azuay, Ecuador. |
| 210 km (130 mi) W from epicenter |
Catamayo Loja, Ecuador. |
| 218 km (135 mi) SW from epicenter |
La Peca Amazonas, Peru. |
| 233 km (145 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bagua Grande Amazonas, Peru. |
| 237 km (147 mi) W from epicenter |
Cariamanga Loja, Ecuador. |
| 242 km (150 mi) S from epicenter |
Rioja San Martín, Peru. |
| 244 km (152 mi) S from epicenter |
Moyobamba San Martín, Peru. |
| 247 km (153 mi) W from epicenter |
Piñas El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 250 km (155 mi) SW from epicenter |
Jaén Cajamarca, Peru. |
| 263 km (163 mi) S from epicenter |
Chachapoyas Amazonas, Peru. |
| 265 km (165 mi) NW from epicenter |
La Troncal Cañar, Ecuador. |
| 268 km (167 mi) W from epicenter |
Pasaje El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 268 km (167 mi) SE from epicenter |
Yurimaguas Loreto, Peru. |
| 275 km (171 mi) NW from epicenter |
Naranjal Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 275 km (171 mi) N from epicenter |
Puyo Pastaza, Ecuador. |
| 280 km (174 mi) NW from epicenter |
Riobamba Chimborazo, Ecuador. |
| 281 km (175 mi) W from epicenter |
Santa Rosa El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 286 km (178 mi) W from epicenter |
Machala El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NW from epicenter |
Naranjito Guayas, Ecuador. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Ecuador.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Macas, Morona Santiago, Ecuador: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 11 sec after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.3 was detected 11 km (7 mi) north-east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Sep 10, 2026 01:42 (Guayaquil Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.3 |
11 sec later Sep 10, 2026 01:42 (Guayaquil Time) | 11 km (7 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
4 hrs later Sep 10, 2026 05:39 (Guayaquil Time) | 9 km (6 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 8th, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 44 km (27 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on November 28th, 2021.
In total, 19 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 6 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 07/10/26 09:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000tg8v
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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